The blog will not tell another person’s story. There are events from yesterday that I cannot share, but they deeply affected me.
I rose before my alarm at 6:30 on Tuesday. I had to head to Richard’s to play board games. And I hoped, though it was a forlorn hope, that I could finish the blog before I needed to head out. I started, but didn’t finish. I did get 2/3 of it done. I finished the last banana and made coffee that I enjoyed while I wrote.
Chaos is coming to Portland because Highway 5 will be closed for about six weeks to repair some ramps. Traffic is expected to spill everywhere with the closure of the main North-South highway, slowing Portland driving to a crawl. Many folks are returning to work-from-home models for this period. I did not run into this mess; it starts Friday, but I was looking at my trip and trying to guess what I need to do differently. I think I will get off after the river, cross Portland, and avoid the possible backups.
I arrived at Richard’s, brought in some games, and learned that I missed Richard’s selection of Anachrony as our game. Something I never win at, but I find it interesting to play. Robin joined me with Richard again (she has joined the Tuesday morning gaming group), and she owns a copy of Anachrony and watched some videos. I was back to relearning at the moment. And while I scored at the bottom (Robin is a skilled gamer), it was my highest score. I was less than ten points away from her, with Richard smoking us.
This is one of the more expensive and complex games, with endless add-ons and an extra-large box sold to hold all the parts. Richard has all the expensive component upgrades, and I painted the figures for him. His copy of the game is maximum bling.
The board game is a worker-placement game that blocks others and involves resource management. A race to the top. What makes it different is a time track and time travel. Players borrow resources from the future and must pay them back or face penalties. There are also risks, and Richard had to remove three anomalies to avoid more negative points from using future resources. I played conservatively because I had to remember the rules, which caused me to miss some scoring opportunities at the end. I did enjoy the game. Next time!
Because of the huge cost and giant unpainted minis, I cannot recommend the game as a purchase. I do not own a copy. But if you have a friend with it, or find the basic game at your local gaming store to borrow or play there, I do recommend it. Playing with a time machine makes for a fun game.
I headed out and stopped by Broadway Grill for a late lunch; we had finished after 1. There, I finished the blog. I also worked out with Jeff how to get him paid and get receipts for the new light bulbs for the church. Emmaus, the other church that uses our space, and others want to cover the cost of the bulbs. I had their salad and chili special. I also had a Mr. Toad’s Wild Red beer.
After that, I headed home and got stuck in slow traffic on the bridge. Finally home after 3, I took the afternoon off and watched more For All Mankind, talked to Deborah and friends, and nursed my sore throat. I read more newly published Sherlock Holmes, and later edited one of my Dungeons and Dragons adventures, 20,000+ words, which I hope to use in October. I wrote it for 4E D&D in 2009 (we are now on the 5.5e version). I miss the 4E skill challenge, which, when done well, could move a story forward and allowed for some fun cinematic devices. A concept now abandoned by the new version, but adopted in Lord of the Rings and other role-playing games. My adventure will bring some of that back as skill tests and some directed storytelling, but without 4E’s artificial mechanisms. A compromise that I think works.
I stop with the introduction edited. I will start on the encounters next. I change into PJs and read.
I soon sleep. My sleep is disturbed by nightmares. Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 